Pill container-dispenser

ABSTRACT

A container-dispenser for pills and the like having a normally air-tight, water-tight seal and a dispensing device adapted to discharge the pills individually. The dispensing device maintains the seal at all times except during actual discharge of a pill, and re-forms the seal automatically after each pill is discharged, and is adapted for easy, one-hand operation even by a person in extreme agitation amounting to panic. The device is especially designed for use with medications having highly volatile ingredients, and protects the medications against loss of potency resulting from exposure to the atmosphere.

United States Patent [191 Krechmar Dec. 17, 1974 PILLCONTAINER-DISPENSER [76] Inventor: Joseph Krechmar, 6001 W 53 Pl.,

Mission, Kans. 66202 [22] Filed: Apr. 30, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 355,937

[52] US. Cl. 221/264, 221/273- [51] Int. Cl B65h 3/00 [58] Field ofSearch 221/213, 263, 264, 268, 221/270, 272, 273; 206/42; 222/361, 505,514, 265, 266

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS I 4 497,906 5/1893 Bettini221/264 589,386 8/1897 Gerhard. 222/361 2,434.993 1/1948 Dwyer 221/2642,962,190 11/1960 Horland...., 221/263 3,270,915- 9/1966 Auer; 221/2643,300,087 1/1967 Kuypers 221/273 3,752,370 8/1973 Davenport 222/514FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 9/1905 I Great Britain 222/361 141,4744/1920 Great Britain 22l/263 Primary ExaminerDrayton E. HoffmanAssistant Examiner-H. Grant Skaggs Attorney, Agent, or Firm-J0hn A.Hamilton 1 ABSTRACT A container-dispenser for pills and the like havinga normally air-tight, water-tight seal and a dispensing device adaptedto discharge the pills individually. The

dispensing device maintains the seal at all times except during actualdischarge of a pill, and re-forms the seal automatically after each pillis discharged, and is adapted for easy, one-hand operation even by aperson in extreme agitation amounting to panic. The device is especiallydesigned for use with medications having highly volatile ingredients,and protects the medications against loss of potency resulting fromexposure to the atmosphere.

1 Claim, 8 Drawing Figures PILL CONTAINER-DISPENSER This inventionrelates to new and useful improvements in container-dispensers forpills, tablets, capsules and the like, and has particular reference tosuch a device for use in connection with medications having volatileingredients.

Many medicinal pills, tablets, and the like do include highly volatileingredients, perhaps the most noteworthy being the nitroglycerinetablets used for the treatment of heart ailments such as anginapectoris, and loss of potency thereof due to vaporization is a seriousproblem. Many persons afflicted with such ailments must keep .a supplyof the tablets immediately available, preferably on their persons, forimmediate, emergency use in the event of an attack, and the loss ofpotency of the medication, if a user has not kept his supply freshbetween attacks, can have very serious consequences. Patients who mustcarry a supply of nitroglycerine tablets, for example, are commonlycautioned never to purchase more than a limited number of tablets at anyone time, and to discard any unused tablets after a stated period oftime, such as three months, in order to insure that their current supplywill be at full potency whenever use thereof becomes necessary. Fed-'eral authorities have also adopted strict requirements as to thestorage of such medications, in order to guard and insure potency at thetime of sale.

Accordingly, the principal object of the present invention is theprovision of a container-dispenser for pills and the like which iswater-tight and air-tight at all times except during the actualdischarge ofa pill so that the pills may safely be retained and used formuch longer periods of time, and from which the pills may be dischargedone at a time by operation of a plunger disposed externally of thecontainer.

Further objects are the provision of a device of the character describedwhich can conveniently be carried in the pocket or purse, and in whichthe process of dispensing a pill can be performed with extreme ease andrapidity, with one hand, even in the dark, and even by persons in astate of panic, as heart patients often are when suffering an attack.

Other'objects are simplicity and economy of construction, and efficiencyand dependability of operation.

With these objects in view, as well as other objects which will appearin the course of the specification, reference will be had to theaccompanying drawing, wherein:

FIG. I is a front elevational view of a pill containerdispenserembodying the present invention,

FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the device as shown in FIG. 1,

FIG. 3. is a side elevational view of the device as shown in FIG. 1,

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line IV-lV of FIG. 3, withparts left in elevation,

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary view similar to FIG. 4, showing the parts in theposition assumed at the moment of dispensing a pill,

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken on line VI-VI of FIG. 4, 1

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken on line VIIVII of FIG. 4, and

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the pill slide and operating plunger,shown in the relative operative position of FIG. 4.

Like reference numerals apply to similar parts throughout the severalviews, and the numeral 2 applies generally to the body portion of thecontainerdispenser. As shown, said body is generally rectilinear inform, having a cylindrical pill reservoir 4 formed vertically thereinfor receiving a number of pills 6 in stacked relation, said reservoirpreferably being of only slightly larger diameter than said pills sothat the pills will normally assume a stacked relation when depositedtherein. The body member is preferably formed of a transparent materialsuch as plastic or glass, in order to provide a clear view of itscontents, but the material may be tinted, usually an amber color, toprotect pills against deterioration when they are of types subject todeterioration or loss of potency by exposure to light of certainwavelengths.

At its upper end, reservoir 4 opens through an exteriorly threaded neck8 of the body member, for insertion of the pills thereinto. The neck isnormally closed by a cap 10 which is threaded on neck 8, and which islined with a compressible gasket 12 providing an air-tight, water-tightseal against said neck. Attached at 14 to the inner surface of cap 10 isa helical spring 16 which extends downwardly into reservoir 4 andpresses yieldably against the topmost pill 6 therein.

At its lower end, reservoir 4 opens into a passageway 18 formedtransversely and horizontally in the body member, in spaced relationabove the lower end thereof. To the left of the reservoir, as shown inFIG. 4, passageway 18 opens into a vertical passageway 20 formed in thebody member. Passageway 18 opens through the right side of the bodymember, but its entrance is closed by plug 22. Passageway 20 is closedat its upper end and opens through the bottom of'the body member, butits entrance is closed by a plug 24. A pill discharge opening 26 isformed vertically in the body member, being of the same diameter asreservoir 4, but laterally offset to the right therefrom. Said dischargeopening opens at its upper end into passageway 18, and at its lower endthrough the bottom of the body member.

Passageway I8 is generally rectangular in crosssectional contour, andcarries movably therein a pill slide indicated generally by the numeral28. Said slide is biased to the left by a helicalcoil'spring 30 carriedin passageway 18 and compressed between the slide and plug 22. In thisposition, illustrated in FIG. 4, a vertically tapered wedge portion 32of the slide (see FIG. 8) is pressed firmly into a similarly taperedportion of passageway 18. The tapered portion of the passageway, andhence also of the slide, completely encircles the lower end of reservoir4, and hence provides an airtight, water-tight seal for the lower end ofthe reservoir, so long as the slide is pressed firmly to the left byspring 30. In this position of'the slide, a pill-receiving hole 34formed vertically through the slide-is in registry with the lower end ofthe reservoir, and is of the same diameter as the reservoir. The slideis of sufficient vertical thickness to receive a single pill 6 therein,and the lowermost pill is therefore deposited in said hole, eitherbygravity, or by spring 16. Also, it will be seen that when the slide 28is in its FIG. 4 position, its left end portion projects into verticalpassageway 20, and its extreme left end is downwardly and outwardlybevelled as indicated at 36.

Carried slidably in passageway 20, above the extended end of slide 28,is a plunger 38, the lower end of which engages the bevel 36 of the pillslide, and is bevelled correspondingly as indicated at 40. Fixed in saidplunger is a thumbpiece 42 which projects outwardly through a slot 44formed vertically in the left side of the body member. The outer surfaceof said thumbpiece may be knurled as shown for easy manipulation, andcontained within a depression 46 formed in the exterior surface of thebody member so that it will not be engaged and moved accidentally, forexample by the pocket lining of the user when he carries the device in apocket. 7

In operation, it will be seen that the parts of the device are normally.maintained in the FIG. 4 position by spring 30. In this position, all ofthe pills 6 in reservoir 4, as well as the single pill in hole 34 of thepill slide, are provided with an air-tight, water-tight seal against theentry of atmospheric air and moisture, the seal at the top of thereservoir being provided by cap 10 and gasket 12, and at the bottom ofthe reservoir by the interengagement of the wedge portion 32 of pillslide 28 with the corresponding walls of slide passageway 18,

urged into contact by the pressure of spring 30. The mating wedgesurfaces may be ground or otherwise accurately formed to provide a fullyadequate sealing action even when the pressure of spring 30 isrelatively light. Plunger 38 has a slight degree of longitudinal lostmotion in passageway in this position, to insure that it cannotinterfere with full sealing engagement of wedge 32 in passageway 18.

When a pill is required, the user simply pushes thumbpiece 42 downwardlyin slot 44. This may be done easily with a thumb or finger of the samehand in which he is holding body member 2. This moves plunger 38downwardly in passageway 20, whereby its bevelled cam edge 40 actsagainst the bevelled cam edge 36 of pill slide 28 to force said slide tothe right, as viewed in FIG. 4, to the position thereof shown in FIG. 5,against the pressure of spring 30. During this movement of the pillslide, hole 34 of'the slide is moved from axial registry with reservoir4 to axial registry with pill discharge opening 26, transporting thereinthe lowermost pill 6,-and that pill falls through opening 26 to thewaiting hand, or mouth, of the user. In this connection, it will be seenthat, preferably, the vertical thickness of the pill slide, at theleading and trailing edges of its hole 34, when advanced under theimpetus of plunger 38, should be respectively greater than and less thanthe thickness of one of pills 6. This insures that as the slide isadvanced, it can engage only the lowermost pill of the stack, never thenext higher pill, and also insures that the pill being advanced in hole34 cannot be pushed or rammed against the wall of the body memberbounding the lower end of reservoir 4. This tends to prevent anyshearing, breakage, or crumbling of the pills, the prevention of thisoccurrence being important since the dust or fragments of broken pillsmight jam the slide and prevent free movement thereof in passageway 18,so that a pill could not be discharged in the manner described. underconditions amounting to an extreme emergency. However, if a pill shouldcrumble for any reason, such as rough handling or dropping of the deviceon a hard surface, free access to the pills may still be had by removingcap 10.

When a pill is discharged through opening 26 and the user releasesthumbpiece 42, spring 30 again pushes slide 28 to the left, reformingthe seal between its wedge portion 32 and the corresponding portion ofslide passageway 18 and realigning its hole'34 with reservoir 4 toreceive the next higher pill under the impetus of spring 16, and theslide in turn cams plunger 38 upwardly to its original position. Theparts are hence returned to their FIG. 4 position, and the device isagain readied to dispense another pill whenever desired.

Thus it will be apparent that a pill containerdispenser having severaladvantages has been produced. The pills are normally-completely sealedagainst atmospheric air and moisture, so that they are effectivelyguarded againstdeterioration and loss of potency from these causes. Thepills may be discharged one at a time in a very simple manner, easilyperformed with one hand, even in the dark, and even by a person in astate of panic. No human contact need ever be had with any pill beforeit is dispensed, provided of course that the reservoir is originallyloaded by means not involving human contact, which is easily practicalto do. Thus the pills may be preserved in a sterile, sanitary condition. The seal is restored automatically after each pill is dispensed.The configuration of the pill slide prevents crushing or breaking ofpills thereby. Alternative means of pill removal are provided, each ofwhich may be used in the event of failure of the other.

While I have shown and described a specific embodi ment of my invention,it will be readily apparent that many minor changes of structure andoperation could be made without departing from the spirit of theinvention.

What I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

l. A container-dispenser for pills and the like comprising:

a. a body member having formed therein an elongated pill reservoiradapted to contain a series of pills in stacked relation, said pillshaving a uniform thickness longitudinally of said reservoir, a pilldischarge opening laterally offset from said reservoir and openingexteriorly of said body member, and a slide passageway extendingtransversely to said reservoir and interconnecting said reservoir andsaid discharge opening, said reservoir being otherwise hermeticallysealed, I

b. a slide longitudinally movable in said passageway,

and having a hole formed transversely therethrough the axis of.which isparallel to said reservoir, said slide being movable between a firstposition in which said hole registers with said reservoir and a secondposition in which said hole registers with said discharge opening, saidslide being wedge-shaped in a plane parallel to the reservoir axis,being taperingly reduced in thickness in the direction of movementthereof toward its first position, the walls of said passageway matingwith the wedge surfaces of said slide when said slide isin its firstposition being correspondingly whereby in said first slide position toprovide sealing contact between said slide and body member-in encirclingrelation to the reservoir entry to said passageway, and to the hole ofsaid slide, the thickness of said slide, longitudinally of saidreservoir, being respectively less than and greater than the thicknessof a single pill at the edges of the slide hole which are respectivelyadjacent the thinner and the thicker ends of the wedge portion of theslide,

tapered,

c resilient means operable to bias a stack of pills contained in saidreservoir toward the end of said reservoir interconnected with saidslide reservoir,

-d. manually operable means for moving said slide from said firstposition to said second position, and 5 e. resilient means biasing saidslide toward said first position.

1. A container-dispenser for pills and the like comprising: a. a bodymember having formed therein an elongated pill reservoir adapted tocontain a series of pills in stacked relation, said pills having auniform thickness longitudinally of said reservoir, a pill dischargeopening laterally offset from said reservoir and opening exteriorly ofsaid body member, and a slide passageway extending transversely to saidreservoir and interconnecting said reservoir and said discharge opening,said reservoir being otherwise hermetically sealed, b. a slidelongitudinally movable in said passageway, and having a hole formedtransversely therethrough the axis of which is parallel to saidreservoir, said slide being movable between a first position in whichsaid hole registers with said reservoir and a second position in whichsaid hole registers with said discharge opening, said slide beingwedge-shaped in a plane parallel to the reservoir axis, being taperinglyreduced in thickness in the direction of movement thereof toward itsfirst position, the walls of said passageway mating with the wedgesurfaces of said slide when said slide is in its first position beingcorrespondingly tapered, whereby in said first slide position to providesealing contact between said slide and body member in encirclingrelation to the reservoir entry to said passageway, and to the hole ofsaid slide, the thickness of said slide, longitudinally of saidreservoir, being respectively less than and greater than the thicknessof a single pill at the edges of the slide hole which are respectivelyadjacent the thinner and the thicker ends of the wedge portion of theslide, c. resilient means operable to bias a stack of pills contained insaid reservoir toward the end of said reservoir interconnected with saidslide reservoir, d. manually operable means for moving said slide fromsaid first position to said second position, and e. resilient meansbiasing said slide toward said first position.